Frank e



(No Model.)

F. E. FOWLER. SEPAEABLE ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR ECE RAILWAY GATES.110.415.710. PatenteduNoV. Z6, 1889.

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N. PETERS` Phawulnagmphor. wuhington, D. C.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK E. FOlVLER, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HENRYA. MARKS, OF SAME PLACE.

SEPARABLE ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR FOR RAILWAY-GATES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,710, dated November26, 1889.

Application tiled August li 1889. Serial No. 319,456. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern: will shut down through the frame-that is, be-

Be it known that l, FRANK E. FowLER, a tween the side bars of the frameD D. It citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, the street iswide, so that it requires two gates in the county of Essex and State ofMassato reach across it, the two posts@ C will be 5 chusetts, haveinvented new and useful Sepaplaced so that one will be behind each gate.55

rable Electric Conductors for Railway-Gates, E E are two metal buffers,which are hung in of which the following is a speciiication.A theframeDD on aline with the wire B. These My invention relates to theoverhead sysbuffers are backed by the spiral springF and tem, socalled,of electric street-railways, more are made to slide backward andforward upon io especially to the crossings where the streetthe rod H,which acts as a guide to keep the 6o railway crosses a steam-railway.With the buffers straight. The trolley-wireB connects existing overheadsystem of running streetwith the buffers E E by means of the bent carsby electricity, when the street-cars cross wire I, one end of which isfastened to the the steam-railroad track there is a break in buffer andthe other connects with said wire i5 the circuit and the street-cars arepropelled B. (See Fig. 2.) The frame DD is widened 65 across the trackby other means than elecopposite the buffers E E to afford space totricity, usually by horses. This is a great fasten said buffers andtheir connections. inconvenience, and is caused by the fact that Thebuffers E E are made to Iiare outwardly the electric wires cannot beextended across and are inclined toward the gate A. This zo thesteam-railway track, as they interfere with enables the gate to passeasily between them 7o the gates ordinarily in use at said crossings.and leaves the wire B exposed, so that the The object of my invention isto obviate trolley from the cars may follow it. this diiiiculty byproviding a bridge by means A metal band J is fastened around the gateof which the electric current can be extended A at a point where itpasses through the buf- 25 across the steam-railway track withoutinterfers. This prevents the gate from being worn, 7 5 fering with theopening and closing of the and, as the metal is a good conductor, italgates. I attain this object by the mechanism lows the electric currentto pass through it illustrated in the accompanying drawings, when it isbetween the buffers, so that .there in whichis no break in the circuit,not even for an in- 3o Fig. lis a perspective view of the entire stant.8O device showing the street and steam railways; lf it is deemednecessary or desirable, the Fig. 2, a cross-section on line, showing thewire B and the parts of the buffer-connecgate between the buffers, andalso showing tions that come in contact with the frame D one buffer insection; and Fig. 3, a face view D may be insulated in the usual manner.

35 of one of the buffers and trolley-wire. The spring F is placed aroundthe guide- 85 Similar letters refer to similarparts throughrod l-I, sothat one end will bear against the out the several views. buffer and theother against the wide portion In the accompanying drawings, A is anorof the frame D D. I do not confine myselt` dinary railway-gate whichis raised and lowto this particular way of coniinin'g the spring,

4o ered in a manner and for a purpose well unas the buffers may bebacked by a spring in 9o derstood. many well-known ways with the sameresult.

B is the trolley-wire which runs along the The device operates asfollows: When the street above the ears and which carries the gate A islowered, it passes between the bui'- electricity to propel them. It canbe readily fers E E, the weight of the gate forcing them 45 seen that ifthis wire extended across the apart, as shown in Fig. 2, and as soon asthe 95 steam-railway track it would prevent the gate gate passes throughthe spring F forces them A from being lowered or raised. together again,and as the buffers and their C C are posts which support the frame orconnect-ions are good conductors the current arms D D. One post shouldbe placed immein the wire B remains constant. If the cross- 5o diatelybehind the gate A, so that t-he gate ing is a narrow one, one of theposts C may roo be dispensed with,in Which case the buffers E E wouldcome between the ends of the side bars or arms of the frame D D and theframe should be well braced to stand the extra strain.

The frame D D may be made of either Wood or metal; but I prefer Wood, asit is a poorer conductor and less likely to ground the current. Thebuiers E E may be made eXible to assist the springs F, if necessary.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. Separable conductors for railway-gates, con sisting, essentially, ofa post or posts placed behind the railway-gates, said posts beingprovided with arms extending in a parallel direction with the gates, andthe arms provided Witli spring-actuated buffers connecting With theelectric circuit and adapted to the passage of the gates between them,substantially as described.

2. In separable electric conductors for rail- Way-gates, the post orposts C C, having the frame or arms D D, in combination with means, asbuffers E E and Wire I, for conducting the electric current from thewire B, substantially as described.

3. In separable conductors for railwaygates, the adjustable buers E E,suitably connected with the electric circuit, and having means, asspring F and rod H, for keeping them in position against each other,substantially as shown and described.

FRANK E. FOWLER.

\Vitl1esses:`

W. B. HU'rcHINsoN, JOHN E. STEVENS.

